December, 2008

Management of Unused Antifreeze

Q. Is unused antifreeze that has not been contaminated by fuel, lead, or other possible contaminants considered a hazardous waste? If unused antifreeze gets into the watershed, would it be removed via the usual water treatment procedures in a municipality?

A. New or unused antifreeze is not considered hazardous waste when disposed. Unused antifreeze does not go bad.  Donate it to a friend, mechanic, school, etc. Although ethylene glycol, the main ingredient in most antifreeze is poisonous if ingested, in the environment it will eventually biodegrade into carbon and water.  Thus, unused antifreeze presumably does not pose a serious long-term threat to water quality.